The Mighty Marvelows – Talkin’ Bout You Baby

The Mighty Marvelows

“Listen – Talkin’ Bout You Baby – MP3″

Greetings all.

I hope that everything is groovy in your neck of the woods.
Here in Jersey we appear to have weathered the latest juvenile ear crisis (sounds like a cool name for some kind of art punk band, n’est ce pas?) and we’re cruising into the weekend as gracefully as a house full of tired people can.
If all goes well I’ll be selling (and buying, I’m sure) records at the Asbury Lanes Record Sale this Sunday, April 6th. I’ll have a couple of crates of LPs as well as a few boxes of 45s, so if you’re in the area stop on by and say howdy.
Today’s entry will be brief, not because I don’t have enough time to write, but rather because the group involved has been featured in this space twice before, once on their own and another time as part of one of my personal favorite editions of the Funky16Corners Radio Podcast.The group I speak of is the aptly named Mighty Marvelows.
One of the greatest Chitown soul groups of the 60’s – and that’s saying a LOT brother – the Marvelows recorded a number of classic 45s for ABC/Paramount (alongside no less than the Impressions), including ‘I Do’ (the tune that made it into the podcast) which was a Top 40 Pop and Top 10 R&B hit.
Today’s selection was released in 1967, and written by group member Melvin Mason. ‘Talkin Bout You Baby’ is a great example what would become known as Northern Soul. Featuring a solid four-on-the-floor beat, sweet harmony vocals and a classy horn chart, the tune is one of the Mighty Marvelows’ finest.
That said, I hope you dig it, and that you have a most excellent weekend.
I’ll be back on Monday with a brand new edition of Funky16Corners Radio.Peace
Larry

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This entry was posted on April 4, 2008 at 2:50 am and is filed under 45s, funky16corners, Northern Soul, soul. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.
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Larry, A blast from your past – Re: Friday, October 28, 2005, “Timmy Thomas Meets Chuck Edwards”
You said: “…Timmy Thomas’s ‘Why Can’t We Live Together’. Thomas was an organist and singer who had previously released 45s on Goldwax. ‘Why Can’t We Live Together’, composed entirely of Thomas’s voice, organ and a beat-box…”

I played drums in The Timothy (real name!) Thomas Trio during ’69/’70 at Jarvis Christian College, in Hawkins, Tx (he was an administrator; I was a student* ). We played clubs around East Texas on weekends. He played this song for the band in late ’69/early ’70, and said that we would record it. A few months later, he played us a 45 demo of it. He said that the record company made him use “studio musicians”. So, if he did it all himself, then the “beat box” must have been the drum system built into the organ he played. Because, the record I heard and the released HIT sound identical to the way he played it for us live. Still a great song after all these years, it was the biggest thing on the air waves in late 72/early 73. Wonder where ol’ “Timmy” Thomas is today?
* I was the only full-time white student at that black college that year. There was another guy, but he was only white part-time (only took one class). It was a great year, and playing with Thomas and Mr. Davis, the sax player (and my Lab band instructor) and
Erslkine Hopkins (the electric guitarist in both bands) was a big part of that. Lj

ps Thomas was so good with the drum system in his organ, that I think the only reason he had a drummer in the band, was because he knew that people like to watch the drummer, because they can see what he’s doing, where as you can’t really see the organist’s fingers behind the keyboard. And he was a very canny showman, as well as a fine musician. Lj

ps2 Erskine Hopkins was a second or third cousin of the great Lightnin’ Hopkins who showed promise of greatness, but I’ve never heard of him again or found any listings on
the net. If anybody knows anything about him and any musical efforts of his, or anyway for me to get in touch with Timmy Thomas, I’d like to hear back @ apwgfx@comcast.net. I’d like to make contact with them and hear what’s happened in their lives. Can’t remember Mr. Davis’ first name. I used to call him “coach”. Lj